SCUBA_lionfish

Lobster Displacement Research Update

In lobster displacement research class we (Gibson, Summer, Ella, Sam, Clem, and Matt) collaborate with the Cape Eleuthera Institute. We examine the effects of the invasive lionfish on the number one economic export of The Bahamas: the spiny lobster and compare our observations to that of a similar native predator: the graysby. We meet three times each week, where one day is a five-hour field day. On our first field day we free dove for lionfish and lobsters and managed to catch one small lionfish. Later that day we also managed to lose both our graysbys in the lab!  The next week we caught upside down jellyfish with our bare hands! Don’t worry- nobody got stung. We used the jellies in an experimental design practical.  Our second field day was a scuba-dive at Tunnel Rock, a beautiful reef off the cape with an abundance of fish. We were underwater for about 50 minutes, hunting for fish for the lab work; and we were able to catch 5 graysbys by dangling bate on mini fishing rods above the reefs. The grasby were taken back to lab for video camera trails. We are having a blast and looking forward to many more field days to come. We love class so much we want an extra classes on Sundays.